UPDATE April 30, 2011 added references to the book "New World Jewry 1493-1825: Requiem for the Forgotten"
by LiebmanUPDATE July 22, 2010 added "Ashkenazi and Ancestry Matching DNA graphics"Online - December 27, 2009
Since 2003 I have been studying DNA as it relates to ancestry and
specifically to those with ancestors from Mexico, like myself. One of the
goals of the Genealogy of Mexico DNA Project at inception was to determine
the role of Jews in the conquest and subsequent settlement of Mexico.
"It is widely believed that a large percentage of the earliest settlers of
Mexico may have origins in the Middle East and were a result of the expulsion
of non-Catholics out of Spain, just before the conquest of Mexico. Did the
early Iberian settlers of Mexico have proportionately different origins
than modern day Spaniards?" The theory being the expulsion and subsequent
inquisition would have driven much of the Jewish population out of Spain
and at least some to the Americas in the earliest stages of colonization.
I now believe we are on verge of an answer.
Previously autosomal DNA has provided some evidence of a Mexican-American
and Jewish connection in this paper:
BRCA1:185delAG found in the San Luis Valley probably originated in a Jewish founder
by Makriyianni et. al
With new advances in DNA testing we are now able to test our DNA for all
our family lines rather than just the Y-DNA (Fathers, Father's Father's
or Surname line going back thousands of years) line or MtDNA (Mother's,
Mother's Mother's line going back thousands of years) line.
Testing autosomal DNA involves testing the most variable portion of our
Genome, which is relatively small, since we are all basically alike.
Long stretches of our DNA are essentially broken up and inherited in our
offspring. These segments of DNA are Identical By Descent (IBD), if long
enough. With this type of testing we are comparing long stretches of DNA
to determine familial relationships. A child may inherit typically from
47 to 53 percent of one parent's DNA. Cousins share less DNA and distant
cousin's share a much smaller amount of DNA.
See this link for more information:
What's the average % DNA Shared for different types of cousins?
This type of testing is new and is just now being offered at Family Tree DNA
and has been out a few months at 23andme.com. Both are part of their new
"Family Finder" and "Relative Finder" respectively. Initially with 23andme's Relative
Finder you opt in, to participate and you are given a list of relatives. They
currently have a database of over 30,000 results to compare with. At first
these results appear as anonymous with only the MTDNA and Y-DNA (if male),
a predicted relationship (parent, 2nd cousin, 3rd cousin...distant cousin
etc.) and in some cases an indication of regional ancestral origin. In
addition the amount of common stretches of DNA along with the number of
segments are provided.
Thus far, Mexico DNA Project members Al Aburto and his Aunt (Puebla in
Southern Mexico or Chihuahua in Northern Mexico), Joe Alvarez and his
Mother (Northeastern Mexico lines) and myself and Mother (Zacatecas,
North Central Mexico lines) have results from this testing. We all are
showing Jewish distant cousins. In some cases these Jewish distant cousins
are showing up as more closely related than our cousins in Mexico.
Note that 23andme is categorizing cousins differently for people with
Ashkenazi ancestry. They are making relationship predictions that take
into account the higher than average DNA sharing found in people with
Ashkenazi ancestry. In many of these cases, this results in a "distant"
cousin prediction. Source:
Are you categorizing cousins differently for people with Ashkenazi ancestry?
This is shown below in family members matches to Jews showing up as distant
cousins even though they have the amount of matching DNA that would
otherwise be a 5th cousin.
While our anonymous and known 23andme closer relatives (out to 10th cousins)
appear to be from Latin America (MtDNA is Native American in most cases)
our "Distant Cousins" appear to be Jewish. Since all of us had a Parent or
in Al's case an Aunt tested; this phenomenon was even more telling in their
results.
The next step was to try and make contact with those that have opted in to
share their profiles. Those cousins that we had contacted confirmed
Jewish and/or Eastern European ancestry and surnames of Jewish origin.
23andme appeared to recognize this as Al Aburto noticed a change in his
Aunt's results as these Middle Eastern results went from close relatives
to distant cousins after a recent algorithm change. This is when it
appears 23andme started adjusting for Ashkenazi matches by making them
distant cousins instead of 5th cousins in the majority of cases.
How do we know these "Distant Cousins" are Jewish based on the limited
feedback from them?
As you can see below we have received confimation or Jewish ancestry on many
of our distant cousins. Otherwise, one of my Mother's distant cousins has
shared a profile that says he is of Eastern European Ancestry with surnames
that are of typical Jewish origin. See her distant cousin, number 21 below.
Also the lineage's these results are showing up in are rare and prevalent
in Jews or founder Jewish lineages. Also they are showing up as distant
relatives when the amount of DNA shared would make them closer cousins.
See the adjustment made by 23andme here:
Are you categorizing cousins differently for people with Ashkenazi ancestry?Jewish Founder Lineages and Rare Lineages with prevalence among JewsMtDNAN1b2 - "Research has shown that Ashkenazi living today trace
back to just a handful of mitochondrial DNA lines. Their mitochondrial
genetics is so restricted, in fact, that 40% of the Ashkenazi living
today can be traced back to as few as four individual women."
"One of those women belonged to the N1b2 haplogroup, which is found
today in the mitochondrial DNA of about 10% of Ashkenazi. Though it is
also found in other Jewish groups, the vast majority of the people who
carry it today trace their lineage back to one, or at most a few, women
who lived between 500 and 2,500 years ago, and most likely during the
first millennium AD." Source on MtDNA N1b2MtDNAK1a1b1a - "About 1.7 million Ashkenazi living today - about 20%
of the population - share a single branch of the K haplogroup, K1a1b1a.
The diversity of that haplogroup among Ashkenazi suggests that it arose
in the Near East between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago, and that everyone
who shares it today could have shared a common ancestor as recently as
700 years ago." Source on MtDNA K1a1b1aMtDNAK2a2a and K1a9 - "K in the Ashkenazi - A few branches of haplogroup K,
such as K1a9, K2a2a, and K1a1b1a, are specific to Jewish populations and
especially to Ashkenazi Jews, whose roots lie in central and eastern Europe.
These branches of haplogroup K are found at levels of 30% among Ashkenazi.
But they are also found at lower levels in Jewish populations from the Near
East and Africa, and among Sephardic Jews who trace their roots to medieval
Spain. That indicates an origin of those K haplogroup branches in the Near
East before 70 AD, when the Roman destruction of Jerusalem scattered the
Jewish people around the Mediterranean and beyond." "... a similar pattern
in two other K branches that are common among the Ashkenazi, K1a9 and K2a2,
as well as the N1b branch of haplogroup N, has led researchers to conclude
that 40% of the Ashkenazi living today - about 3.4 million people - could
descend from as few as four women who lived within the last 2,000 years."
Source on MtDNA K2a2aMtDNAT2e - Clarifying Mitochondrial DNA Subclades of T2e from Mideast to Mexico
Abstract
We report on two of the oldest mitochondrial DNA clusters in existence with
Jewish affiliation. Both are in haplogroup T2e1. Four unrelated individuals
from the Mexico mtDNA project were found to have the control region
mutations that characterize a Sephardic signature previously reported (motif
16114T-16192T within T2e). Full genomic sequencing found the identical
coding region mutations as Sephardic individuals which provides genetic
evidence for founders of Northern Mexico that were both female and Sephardic
Jewish. This is in contrast to a more common finding of European male, but
local female founders and additionally lends biological support to anecdotes
and historical reports of Crypto-Jewish founding of the Coahuila, Nuevo León,
and Tamaulipas regions of Mexico and influx to Southern Texas, USA. The
haplotype is nested in an old tree with mutations at positions 2308 and 15499,
presently of uncertain geographic origin. The second cluster, a Bulgarian
Sephardic founding lineage (9181G within T2e) previously reported, was found
here in a population of largely Americans of European descent, but only among
Jewish individuals. The non-synonymous mutation in ATPase 6 was found
among both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews from diverse regions of Czech
Republic, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania. Full genomic
sequencing found great coding region variability with several haplotypes and
suggested a Near East origin at least 3000 years old. This predates the split
between Jewish groups, but more recent admixture between Sephardim and
Ashkenazim cannot be ruled out. Together the two Jewish-affiliated clusters
account for all the genetic distance found in branch T2e1 and much of T2e.
The findings suggest reexamination of the origins of mitochondrial DNA
haplogroup T2e as Levantine or early back migration to the Near East.
New subclades of T2e are identified.
Clarifying Mitochondrial DNA Subclades of T2e from Mideast to MexicoY-DNAJ1e - "J is the most common haplogroup among Ashkenazi Jews; about
40% of Ashkenazi men have chromosomes belonging to it. J1 has largely
remained near its place of origin in the Near East. It is most common
there and in northern and eastern Africa. It is found only rarely in
Europe except among Jewish men, whose male ancestors brought it from the
Near East as a consequence of the diaspora" Source on Y-DNA J1e Additional
source on Y-DNA J1eY-DNAE1b1b1c1a - "Although haplogroup E1b1b1c1 is common throughout
the Near East, reaching levels of 5% among populations such as the Bedouin,
Omanis and Druze, it appears particularly elevated in Jewish populations.
E1b1b1c1 averages 10% among both Ashkenazi from Eastern Europe and Sephardic
Jews from Iberia. About 15% of Ethiopian Jews also carry the haplgroup,
although it is not known if they are more closely related to other Jews
bearing the E1b1b1c1 or to the other Ethiopian populations that also exhibit
it."
"Jews from Yemen carry E1b1b1c1 at levels of about 10%, and about 20% of
Libyan Jewish men belong to the haplogroup. Given the clearly elevated
frequency in all Jewish populations, E1b1b1c1 was very likely present in
the ancestral Jewish population from the Levant that dispersed throughout
the Old World about 2,000 years ago."Source on Y-DNA E1b1b1c1aY-DNAR1b1 - the undifferentiated R1b1 that I have researched occurs
with prevalence among the Jews. This is a very rare lineage and the Mexico
Project has Joe Alvarez (one of the subjects of this paper). I have connected
his haplotype with the Sephardic Diaspora (see this entry on the project
page Joe Alvarez results). Also see The Jewish R1b ProjectY-DNAQ and the Jewish Diaspora - "According to historical sources the
Jewish population of Eastern Europe arrived in the region about 1,000 years
ago, after migrating out of the Levant a millennium earlier. Today's Ashkenazi
Jews carry evidence of this migration in the form of Near Eastern lineage's
not seen in other European populations. Haplogroup Q is one example: it is
found in 5% of Ashkenazi Jews, while the haplogroup is almost nonexistent in
all other Europeans. That pattern also indicates that the haplogroup has
existed in the Near East for at least a few thousand years"
Source: Y-DNA Q. This haplogroup is found in about 10 to 15 percent of males
of Mexican ancestry but the majority, are of the Q1a3a Native American branch,
which this participant tested negative on.
Y-DNAQ1b - it appears most Q1a* lines went to America's with the Native
Americans, the Q1b lines per the profiles on 23andme and postings on Q1b are
of Jewish origin.
See Ashkenazi Jewish Q1b where it says "It appears that all of
us have Ashkenazi (northern European) Jewish ancestors. Apparently about 5%
of all Ashkenazi Jewish people are Q1b."

Here are suspected (per the listed research in this paper) and/or confirmed Jewish results by order of relatedness (i.e. segment(s) of shared DNA)

Ashkenazi and Ancestry Matching DNA graphics:As of July 15, 2010, 23andme is allowing us to compare segments of DNA to segments from Askenazi Jews.
As of this update 23andme has tested a total of about 50,000 samples.Gary Felix' Mother - of the 16.8 percent of this genome covered by Ancestry Finder hits; approximately
10 to 19 percent match Ashkenazi Jews. Closest regional genetic affinity to Central and Eastern European Countries.

Al Aburto's Aunt - of the 20.4 percent of this genome covered by Ancestry Finder hits; approximately
9 to 22 percent match Ashkenazi Jews. Close regional genetic affinity to some Eastern European Countries.

Joe Alvarez (closest we have to the Sephardic founders) - of the 39.3 percent of this genome covered by Ancestry
Finder hits; approximately 29 to 40 percent match Ashkenazi Jews.

What is the chance that someone on my Relative Finder list is not related to me?
Response from 23andme: Because Relative Finder only identifies people who share a
DNA segment of at least 7 cM (centiMorgans) and 700 Single-nucleotide polymorphisms
(SNPs) long, you can be confident that the users on your list are your relatives.
The vast majority of relatives found by Relative Finder shares a common ancestor
within the last five to ten generations. A few may be more distantly related.
Source: 23andmeSo how are shared segments of Jewish DNA showing up in the genomes of
Mexican Americans?
This appears to be a consequence of "founder effect". Founder effect is when a small
portion of a large population leaves the main group and migrates elsewhere, as in the
case of the colonization of new lands. In the case of the Jews they continue to inter-
marry and consequently share a larger portion of their DNA than would otherwise be the
case. Our genealogy books show suspected Jewish lines in our founder populations such
as Monterrey-Saltillo (see Conquistadores and Crypto-Jews of Monterrey) in the Northeast
of Mexico. These founder lines were known to intermarry. Zacatecas and Puebla have
founder lines since colonial days. For Jewish DNA to continue into the present in
these 3 populations there must have been a substantial migration to begin with or
these lines would have been absorbed into the non Jewish Castilian population, long
ago. It appears the shared blocks of DNA are a legacy of this early settlement and
expansion. Evidently 23andme realized this "founder effect" was effecting the
relationship predictions found in the Jewish samples so they adjusted for this effect.
The list Rootsweb dna is also reporting the same close relationship between some of
Northwestern European ancestry and Mennonites.
See GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives See also a discussion we had on this same list
on the Mexican/Jewish connection GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives: November 2009Conclusions:
It is fascinating what our DNA is able to tell us. The founder Jewish haplogroups and
the rare connection to some of the above haplogroups and Jews as well as the confirmed
relationships to Jewish distant cousins are opening a window we had yet to discover.
It is known that prior to the expulsion, the Sephardic Jewish population of Iberia
vastly outnumbered all other groups of Jews. Sephardic Jews established a presence in Iberia
since about 200 C.E. We can now get a feeling of the vastness of this Diaspora.
In addition we can see how closely this group is connected and get a feel for our
connection to them through our Sephardic ancestors.
History:
What of these Ashkenazi matches to those with Mexican Ancestry? In the book the Spanish
Inquisition Kamen states "Jews had been in the peninsula from at least the third century.
In Medieval Spain they constituted the single largest Jewish community in the world".
In the book DNA & Tradition The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews Rabbi Kleiman states
"By 1600 the Ashkenazim were numerically and culturally the most significant Jewish
community in the world". It appears that a significant portion of the Sephardic community
went and joined their distant cousins in Eastern Europe as well as joined in the settlement
of the New World where they participated in it's expansion.
According to the book "New World Jewry 1493-1825: Requiem for the Forgotten" by Liebman
(pg4), "there are, literally, millions of pages of documents, primary sources, that refer
to Jews and Jewish communities in the New World." "Although many American Hispanics have
overlooked the existance of Jews in the New World during the Colonial period (1493-1825),
it is surprising that six eminent historians at the Hebrew University make no reference
to any Jewish presence or community in Latin America prior to 1900 in their History of
the Jewish People, except for a few lines about Brazil in the period from 1631-1654."
In Liebman's book The Jews of New Spain he writes of Diego de Ocana a reconsiled Jew in
1533 Mexico , as wearing a long coat and a round hat similar to the clothing worn by Jews
in Lithuania and Poland in the 17th to 20th centuries. This appears by Liebman to be a caftan.
It seems the Jewish explusion out of Iberia coincides with the Ashkenazi expansion in Central
and Eastern Europe. Luis de Carvajal was documented as saying on his way to the stake in
Mexico City to be burned "O this evil tribunal of the Holy Office. If it had not existed
in this Kingdom, I could count the Christians here on my fingers."
Further Liebman writes "There were so many Jews in New Spain in 1602 that Friar Hernando de
Ojea, a Dominican, was perturbed by their numbers. He published an apologetic work intended
to convince Mexican Jews that they should convert". Further Liebman writes "Evidence of the
growth of Jewish population may be gleaned noting that the autos-de-fe at the begining of
the seventeeth century included not only the prisoners of the previous decade but also their
children". "This natural increase plus the legal immigration into New Spain in the early
decades of the seventeenth century created a substancial Jewish population.".
Liebman writes of Juana Enriquez torture on the rack in 1648: "...she cried out, I have said
all that you gentlemen want me to say, I say that all those who are in Mexico are Jews, ay!
My God of my life for the love of God, I have confessed the truth".
There evidently were many more Sephardic colonizers in Mexico than we ever realized. Also these
founders married enough amongst themselves to have their DNA show up significantly in us today.
Ramifications:
The fact that 23andme had to adjust their "relative finder' algorithm for the closeness
of Ashkenazi Jews attests to the finding that Jewish DNA does exist. While my Mother
has 22 distant cousins (15 of these cousins with common Jewish founder lines or rare
haplogroups frequent in Jewish populations) I have only 6. I share distant cousin
number 2 (.15%) intact, one of two segments (.10%) of distant cousin number 1 and
distant cousin number 19 intact (.10%). All are from Jewish founder lines. It appears
I inherited no Jewish founder lines from my Father (Northwestern Mexico and not tested).
It is likely that Sephardic origins will be found in the oldest populations all over Latin
America.
This is the first autosomal evidence for this significant Sephardic/Ashkenazi connection
to Mexico. Those with the most direct descendants of the founders of our regional
populations in Mexico should have the most Jewish DNA, depending on the
founder population. We need more data to clarify things.
Family Tree DNA has just announced their version of Relative Finder which they call
Family Finder. It is superior to 23andme's version since it identifies more relatives
and allows you to easily contact your relatives. In addition your project administrator
has the tools to identify founder lines common to many participants.
I would encourage you to test with the Mexico DNA Project at FTDNA and choose
Family Finder when it comes out so that we can determine the extent of our Sephardic
Jewish Ancestry and discover our founder lines. We will be looking at specifically what
areas of our DNA we share with Jews. Another possibility since our ancestors intermarried
extensively is finding the regional founding lines of Mexico. We will be able to
arrive at conclusions based on the data among project members. We will then have an
organized way of sharing these new discoveries. The cost of the test is $289.
Click here to learn more about Family Finder on the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Special thanks to Al Aburto and Joe Alvarez for their cooperation.
The Sephardic Puzzle:
Below are distant cousin results for those with Mexican Ancestry from 23andme's Ancestry Finder Utility.
From 23andme - "Let the 23andMe Community help you discover what countries your ancestors might have lived
in. This lab is fueled by your responses to the "Where Are You From?" ancestry survey."
Using the results from this utility we should be able to piece together our Sephardic DNA.
TRUE denotes an Ashkenazi Grandparent.
42 "Distant Cousins" of Gary Felix' Mother (ancestrial lines from Zacatecas Mexico)

Our Sephardic Cousins:
At 23andme.com it is possible to share Genomes. With their "Countries of Ancestry" utility
we are able to see where in the world our closest relatives are from given a significant
level of shared DNA. Given the growth of their database we are now seeing Sephardic DNA
matches.
Confirmed Sephardic Cousin #1,
with 4 grandparents from Morocco, identified in the Sephardic Puzzle (Dolores Felix) section
is examined below:
With settings at 5cM and 4 grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more of his
genome shared in the 23andme.com database with those of Mexican ancestry than those
of his native Morocco.
With this countries of ancestry utility you can highlight these segments
of DNA and access the matches' 23andme profile if they have chosen not
to remain anonymous.
Regarding Sephardic cousin #1; here are the specific locations in Mexico where the
above matches (at 5cm and 4 grandparents) from Mexico come from:
(Note: Some of these matches were anonymous or just said Mexico; which I
left out)
Family Locations: Sombrerete Zacatecas; Chalchihuites, Zacatecas
Family Locations: Mezcala, Jalisco, Mexico; Tepatitlan, Jalisco, Mexico
Family Locations: Monterrey, Merida, Puebla, Mexico City
Family Locations: Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango
Family Locations: La purisima de Carrillo, Rancho Adjuntas Del Refugio,
Valparaiso Zacatecas Mexico
Family Locations: Chihuahua; Irapuato, Guanajauto; Aguascalientes; Zacatecas
Family Locations: Monterrey, Mexico
About Me: El Naranjo de Chila. Aguililla of michoacan.
Family Locations: Zacatecas, MX, Guanajuato, Mx.
Family Locations: Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Mexico
Family Locations: San Sebastian, DF, Morelia, Santander, Puebla
Family Locations: Ahijullo, Jalisco, Mexico; El Remate, Colima, Mexico
Family Locations: Juchipila, Zacatecas, Mexico
Family Locations: Culiacan-Sinaloa, Nayarit-Tecepespan,Tepic, Guaymas-Sonora
Family Locations: Chihuahua, Mexico; Sonora, Mexico
Family Locations: Jerez, Ermita de Guadalupe, Zacatecas, Mexico
Family Locations: Mexico City, Mexico
Family Locations: Nava Coahuila, Sabinas Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas;
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Family Locations: Chihuahua Mexico,Durango Mexico
Family Locations: Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico; Tenamaxtlan; Tijuana, Mexico
Family Locations: Monterrey, Mexico
About Me: Born in Jesus Maria, Jalisco
The above matches appear to come from all over Mexico.
With settings at 7cM and 4 grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more
of his genome shared in the 23andme.com database with those of his native
Morocco than those of Mexico.
With settings at 5cM and 1+ grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more
of his genome shared in the 23andme.com database with those of Mexican ancestry
than those of his native Morocco.
How much DNA does this Sephardic Cousin share with his Ashkenazi cousins:
With settings at 5cM and 4 grandparents from one country
With settings at 5cM and 1+ grandparent from one country
Migration pattern of this Sephardic cousin #1:
Tetouan Morocco>Israel
Reference World Heritage Site - Medina of Tetouan
"The medina of Tétouan was rebuilt by the end of the 15th century by refugees from the
Reconquista (reconquest of Spain, completed by the fall of Granada in 1492)"... "Tétouan
has also been home of an important Sephardi Jewish community, which immigrated from
Spain after the Reconquista and the Spanish Inquisition. The Jews lived in a mellah,
separated from the rest of the town by gates which were closed at night."
Confirmed Sephardic Cousin #2,
with 4 grandparents from Tunisia, identified in the Sephardic Puzzle (Dolores Felix)
section is examined below:
Note that Sephardic cousin #1 shares one segment of 6cM's with Sephardic cousin #2
With settings at 5cM and 4 grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has the
same amount of her genome shared in the 23andme.com database with those of Mexican
ancestry as those of her native Tunisia.
Regarding Sephardic cousin #2; here are the specific locations in Mexico where the
above matches (at 5cm and 4 grandparents) from Mexico come from:
(Note: Some of these matches were anonymous or just said Mexico; which I
left out)
Family Locations: Yurecuaro Michoacan, Jalisco Mexico
Family Locations: Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, Jalisco, Mexico
Family Locations: Guadalajara, (Jalisco); Mexicali, Mexico
Family Locations: Atenguillo, San Pablo, Jalisco; Autlan, Jalisco; Mascota, Jalisco;
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; Caborca, Sonora, Mexico
Family Locations: Guadalajara; Tepatitlan, Mexico; Baja California Sur;
Cuquio, Jalisco; Michoacan;
Family Locations: Tinguindin, Purepero (Michoacán).
Family Locations: Baja California; Guanajuato, Mexico; Chihuahua, Mexico
Family Locations: Sombrerete Zacatecas; Chalchihuites, Zacatecas Mexico
Family Locations: Saltillo, Mexico; Monterrey, Mexico
Family Locations: Mexico City, Queretaro Mexico
Family Locations: Santa Maria Del Oro, Durango; Inde, Durango
Family Locations: Julimes, (Chihuahua) Mexico
Family Locations: Chihuahua (all my ancestors has been born in the state
of Chihuahua, Mexico, from as early as the 1700's)
Family Locations: Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico; Villa Guerrero, Jalisco, Mexico
Family Locations: Piedras Negras, (Coahuila) Mexico;
The above matches appear to come mostly from Jalisco and the surrounding
area.
With settings at 7cM and 4 grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more
of her genome shared in the 23andme.com database with those of her native Tunisia
than those of Mexico. Mexico comes after Russia (.6% of genome covered) with .5%
of her genome covered.
With settings at 5cM and 1+ grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more of
her genome shared in the 23andme.com database with those of her native Tunisia
than with those of Mexico.
How much DNA does this Sephardic Cousin share with her Ashkenazi cousins:
With settings at 5cM and 4 grandparents from one country
With settings at 5cM and 1+ grandparent from one country
Migration pattern of this Sephardic cousin #2:
Algeria>La Goulette & Bizerte Tunisia
La Goulette is a port in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia
Confirmed Sephardic Cousin #3,
with 4 grandparents from Turkey (not sharing significant DNA with Dolores
Felix) is examined below:
Note that Sephardic cousin #3 shares one segment of 5.1cM's with Sephardic cousin #1
Sephardic cousin #2 shares no segment of 5cM or more with Sephardic cousin #3
With settings at 5cM and 4 grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more of her genome
shared in the 23andme.com database with those of Mexican ancestry than those of her
native Turkey.
Regarding Sephardic cousin #3; here are the specific locations in Mexico where the
above matches (at 5cm and 4 grandparents) from Mexico come from:
(Note: Some of these matches were anonymous or just said Mexico; which I
left out)
Family Locations: Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Mexico; Monterrey Nuevo Leon Mexico;
Districto Federal (DF) Mexico,
Family Locations: Chihuahua Mexico; Durango Mexico.
Family Locations: Pinos Altos Chihuahua, Mexico.
Family Locations: Monterey Mexico; Guajuanto Mexico.
Family Locations: La Paz,Baja California Sur; San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur Toluca;
Veracruz; Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, Jalisco
Family Locations: Zacatecas, Mexico
The above matches appear to come mostly from North Eastern Mexico and the surrounding
area.
With settings at 7cM and 4 grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more
of her genome shared in the 23andme.com database with those of her native Turkey
than those of Mexican Ancestry. Mexico comes in with .5% of her genome covered and ranks
as the top Hispanic Country on her list.
With settings at 5cM and 1+ grandparents from one country
We can see that at this level of matching this Sephardic cousin has more of her genome
shared in the 23andme.com database with those of Mexican Ancestry than with her native
Turkey.
How much DNA does this Sephardic Cousin share with her Ashkenazi cousins:
With settings at 5cM and 4 grandparents from one country
With settings at 5cM and 1+ grandparent from one country
Migration pattern of this Sephardic cousin #3:
Turkey
Email me Gary Felix at GaryF@pacbell.net if you have any questions.
Email me anytime,
Gary Felix
Mexico DNA Project Administrator
Note that I do not benefit monetarily from either 23andme or FTDNA (Mexico DNA Project).
Additional Resources:
Come and discuss "Jewish DNA in the Genome of Mexican-Americans" at our
Mexico DNA Project Yahoo Group.
The Ashkenazic Jewish Bloom Syndrome Mutation blmAsh Is Present in Non-Jewish Americans of Spanish Ancestry
by Ellis et. al. 1998. In summary, screening for blmAsh in families ascertained through BS has uncovered a fascinating
historical-genetic mystery. The blmAsh mutation, common among persons of Ashkenazic ancestry, has been found to be
segregating in Spanish-speaking Christian BS families who for many generations have dwelt in the southwestern United States,
Mexico, or El Salvador, at least some of whom can trace their ancestry to Spain. blmAsh was not detected in any other
non-Jewish population.
MtDNA evidence for a genetic bottleneck in the early history of the Ashkenazi Jewish
Population by Behar et. al.
Counting the Founders: The Matrilineal Genetic Ancestry of the Jewish Diaspora
by Behar et al.
The Matrilineal Ancestry of Ashkenazi Jewry: Portrait of a Recent Founder Event
by Behar et al.
Distribution of HLA-B27 Subtypes in Ankylosing Spondylitis in an Israeli Population
by Alaez et al. (2007). The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of the B27 subtypes to AS expression in
a group of Jewish patients from Israel and to compare their distribution with that found in Mexican Mestizo patients
because of the very well-documented Mediterranean and Semitic background in Mexicans. CONCLUSIONS: The only allele
conferring risk to AS expression in Israeli Jews was B( *)2702, as was previously described in Mexican Mestizos.
Populations of Mediterranean ancestry, such as Latin Americans, should be further explored to understand the contribution
of ethnicity to the etiopathogenesis of AS.
The impact of Converso Jews on the genomes of modern Latin Americans
by Velez, Hammer et al (2011). Note that this paper identifies a Population in the Loja Province in S. Equador
as having Sepharidic roots. See the July 15th 2010 entry graphic for Dolores Felix and note that cousins are
most prevalent in Equador after Mexico.